The Creation Story
In the beginning, there was chaos. The universe in it's entirety was a dark, full place of writhing energies and every element out of alignment. No one knows how long this state of the universe existed, but eventually a method to the madness formed. Rising in a "safe" pocket of the universe was the original race, the Ancients, formed then only as geometric shapes and crystalline formations, the first theories of law and organization. These creatures struggled to build upon the chaos, and used the energies of the vast multiverse to give themselves forms. This act of creation was enough order to stabilize an even larger portion of the universe, and soon the Ancients would begin to create more of themselves out of the crude void. By creating and observing more rules, ideals, principles and laws of existence, thus did existence's chaos diminish. The Ancients' civilization grew and grew with each new universal truth discovered. They formulated a type of protocol, or technology, known as runic; the idea of primal characters or words summing up any given thing in it's most base form and thus giving great control over it. It was with these runes that they shaped realities. They gazed upon the vast universe at the remaining energies and decided to organize them by creating "planes" in a bid to categorize these wild energies. Fire would be represented in the plane of fire, water to water, and so on. The Ancients were pleased with this for a long time, but still there were energies in the universe that eluded definition. Unseen things that would later define the beginning of souls, life, and emotions. These were energies that could not be given palpable forms, and they eluded the Ancients in frustration. Eventually, they conspired to create worlds as well, to experiment with different levels of elements working in tune with one another. It was here that they created the first Material Plane, wherein the Abyss currently resides. Many planets were created there, though few were hospitable as the destructive elements clashed and fought one another for dominance: volcanoes rose out of the sea, skies were filled with fire, and wind blew into the core of worlds like the fiercest of tornadoes. Worried by this destructive tendency, the Ancients sealed up that plane and created another, this time with peace in mind. They could not understand the feelings of this imbalance and so they created the first mortal race, the Seraphim, to be their helpers and test subjects in these new environments; beings that would be susceptible to things that the Ancients were not, beings that would tell the Ancients of their tribulations so that the original creators might learn. Again, the Ancients were pleased with their work, but puzzled still were they. Instead of answering questions, they watched in curiosity as the Seraphim grew, and it only left more questions to be asked. In time, the Ancients desired to create gods to represent all elements and ideals, to take the chaotic, ever-compassing subjects and give them something to represent. Using the vast energies of runic, the Ancients created the first gods: Good, Evil, and Law. Others were made as new ideals were discovered, and the Ancients toiled long while they kept the infant gods in a state of suspension until the time came when they had completed their preparations. Meanwhile, some of the Seraphim began to grow jealous of these new creations, as they were far more powerful than the helpers yet seemingly unexperienced in the ways of the multiverse. Many Seraphim considered it unfair that the Ancients create such beings to lord over the respective ideals, and one of them in particular desired this power the most; her name was Altima. While the gods formed themselves and weaned on the energies of their patron ideals, the Seraphim plotted against their parents. When it came to be that the Ancients were nearing completion, one important subject remained unrepresented: Time. If the Ancients were to truly apply a constant rule to the universe, they would have to define the ideals of time. Altima had observed her creators while they worked, assisting dutifully as the vast runic symbols as it supernaturally winked things into existence. She, above all of her kin, knew how these artifacts worked and was set to steal the power for herself. During the final moments of creating the god of time, Altima tampered with the runic symbols and the god, caught between existence and nothing, died. It was here and then that time began, and with time came death. Virvius, this so-killed god, revealed the universal truth of death to all existence and the Ancients immediately began to feel the effects. The eldest of their kind atrophied quickly and wasted into nothing, for all things must eventually come to an end, spoke Virvius. Panic broke out amongst the otherwise calm Ancients, and Altima was forever banished from them, taking with her the most loyal of all betrayers. She and her fallen would wander the planes for many years, banished from each they visited as the gods turned them away in disgust. Eventually, Altima pierced the Void and came to a realm of other cast-off beings that the Ancients had failed and forgotten. Using her stolen knowledge, she quickly usurped power in this Abyss and tied herself down to the only place she could. Meanwhile, the Ancients faced the reality of time with mixed responses; some went insane, locking themselves away while others faced the truth and sought to steward the remaining Seraphim and gods as best they could. Wol arose from infancy before his siblings, and spent the most time with the Ancients of all the gods. It was Mechanus, the original plane of the Ancients, that he would inherit and their universal truths were his to uphold. The Ancients had prepared two other primary planes for Setengar and Dearuhk, gods of good and evil, shaped from a time when the creators desired to define these principles. The siblings were greatly pleased with their homes, but as a final gift the Ancients bestowed each of the three with the power to create more planes and warned against abusing such a gift. Wol was the most content with his surroundings and kept it hidden, Setengar desired only to share the bounty of Heaven while Dearuhk wanted nothing more than to abuse the gift in any way she could, eventually losing control of the power as it became the Soulforge and defined Nuzalheim. As the last vestiges of the Ancients disappeared into the far corners of the multiverse, the gods kept to their respective ideals. In time, Setengar wed the goddess of Love, Lo, and gave birth to the god of magic, Keldin. Wol took it upon himself to raise the goddess Mylia, and Dearuhk birthed many evil children as well. Keldin, like all new gods, spent time pondering the ideals in a search for what he stood for. Gazing upon the many elemental planes, he understood the importance of their balance and after courting and marrying Mylia, much to the chagrin of Setengar, their children would go on to be the ultimate representation of these building blocks. The children of the elements were chaotic at first, much as it was their nature to be, but in time they grew to maturity and order. Dearuhk was not pleased with these events, as it placed even more power into her brothers hands. Wol suggested the gods take their collective essence and play upon the Material Plane, where Kharlia had been formed. Some agreed and created their own races, casting them in their own image and populating them on the worlds that could sustain them. Other gods were content to lord over their own planes and fill it with everything that described them. As time passed, the mortal races grew and the gods lived on, some warring with one another, others coming together in marriage. Before too long, the universe as we know it today began to solidify. Setengar ruled over all that was Good, Wol kept the rules of the Ancients in place, and Dearuhk sought to exploit her brother for her own gain. In the farthest reaches of the multiverse, chaos stirred, left over from the original state of the universe, and never truly able to be destroyed.